A spokesperson for the chicken chain, which was founded in 1967 and operates over 2,000 US restaurants, told BigHospitality​ the company "has no social or political agenda".

In a Facebook event​​ calling to #GetTheChickOut, Reading Pride wrote: “The aim is to enlighten potential patrons to the Chick-fil-A chain and their anti LGBT+ stance.

“Ultimately we want to see the chain removed from Reading and ultimately the UK.”

A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A told BigHospitality​: “We hope our guests in the UK will see that Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on serving great food and hospitality...we are represented by more than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs, and we welcome everyone.”

Chick-fil-A opened its first international site under franchise in Toronto, Canada in September. The launch was also met with protests from​​ LGBT+ and animal-rights activists.